Improvement in car-starters



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JAMES J. WHEELER, OF GRINNELL, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT iN cAR-sTARTERs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ld?, dated January 21, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMEs J. WHEELER., of Grinnell, in the county of Poweshiek and State of Iowa, have invented a new and -lmproved Gar-Mover, of which the following is a speciication:

My invention consists of a small frame of two legs, connected together by suitable crossbars, each leg having a clamping-foot adapted for clamping the head of a rail-the one when forced downward, and the other when forced upward--on which said frame is a drum and crank, with a rope or chain for hitchin g to the car, to move it by winding the chain or rope on the drum, the frame being confined on the rail bythe clamps, which are caused to clamp fast tothe rail by the one next to the car being forced down on the rail by the strain upon the rope or chain, and the other by being forced upward by the said strain.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved car-mover on a rail. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation ofthe rail taken on the line y y of Fig. 1, and a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the rail taken 011 the line .fr of Fig. 1, and a front elevation of the hind leg and clamp of the machine.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre- 4 spondin g parts.'

A and B represent the two legs of the machine, and C the crossbars connecting them. D is a drum, with a crank, E, mounted on the top cross-barato draw the car by a rope or chain, F, to be hitched to the car and wound on the drum. G represents a pair of clamping-jaws, connected together by a pivot-bolt, H, and connected, by a bolt, I, to the lower end ofthe leg A, so that awedge portion, K', of said leg can move down between their Shanks J, when they rest on a rail, K, and 'bind them on it, their lower ends being suitably formed to rest upon the rail when so clamped against it, and support the frame in an upright position. L represents another pair of clamps, connected together by a pivotbolt, M, and connected to the lower part of leg B by a bolt, N, which also connects their shanks O above the wedge-shaped portion P, so that when said Wedge rises the jaws will be clamped against the rail-head; and the jaws are so shaped that they hook under the railhead, and hold the leg of the frame from rising by the effect of the resistance on the rope when the drum is turned for pulling the car. The bolts L and I are tted in slots in the legs, to allow of the necessary movement of the clamps on the rails and releasing them again.

The leg A is placed on the rail next to the car, so that the eiiect of the power is to force it down on the rail; and the leg B is placed on the opposite side, so that the power tends to lii't it, so that when the power is applied the iirst effect is to securely fasten the machine in position; and when the crank is relieved of the power the clamps are instantly relaxed, so that the machine can be quickly shifted along the rail, which it is required to do frequently ii' the car is to be moved any considerable distance, in whichA case it is placed as far from the car as the length of the rope will allow, and the crank is turned till the rope is wound up. Then the crank is reversed, the rope unwound, the machine shifted along again, and the operation is repeated as often as necessary.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. The combination, with the slotted shanks of clamp-jaws, of a wedge attached to a leg of frame A B (l and pivoted to a sliding bolt, I, as and for the purpose described.

2. The frame A B O, the drum D with crank E, and the chain F, combined with the clamp to form a car-mover, as described.

JAMES J. WHEELER.

Witnesses:

R. P. BROWN, A. P. PHILLIPS. 

